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SCREAM IF YOU WANT TO GO FASTER
44
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2018 | LOSSPREVENTIONMEDIA.COM
visitors. "We have had attempts made
to steal the models, some of which are
valued in the thousands of pounds. At
Tussauds, we have people trying to steal
the waxworks, which can be valued at up
to £100,000 each, which is why the heads
and the bodies never travel together."
Globetrotting
Merlin has 124 attractions in
twenty-five countries across four
continents and has a corporate mission
to "deliver unique, memorable, and
rewarding experiences to millions of
visitors across our growing estate. We
believe that we achieve this objective
largely thanks to the commitment and
passion of our team and the strength of
our brands, which will never fail to be
distinctive, challenging, and innovative.
Our passion is putting smiles (or
screams) on people's faces and giving our
customers memorable experiences."
It's been a roller coaster of a ride
for Lyn Blethyn in the last fifteen years,
fourteen of which have been with
Merlin after it merged with Tussauds. "I
loved working at Sainsbury's, but this
job is nothing short of incredible. We
are not dealing with tins of beans but
everything from wildlife to theme park
rides to hotels and all of the moving
parts that are involved in this kind of
hospitality business. In the time I've
been here, I've flipped burgers, I've sold
key rings in the gift shops, I've changed
beds in the hotels, and I've worked in
the front line at the zoo—and all just so
I knew and understood every aspect of
this business."
Blethyn has worked all over the
world attending the openings of new
theme parks, and a typical day will see
her involved in a conference call with her
profit protection colleagues in Australia
at 07:00 UK time and another with the
West Coast of the US in the early evening
so as to work in sync with her team's time
requirements and those of the attractions
in which they work.
"I'm a global clock watcher in that
respect," said Blethyn who has increased
the size of the team to twenty-one profit
protection field managers in the last
fifteen years as the Merlin empire went
truly international.
"I have a visit schedule that takes me
to Australia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia
part of the year, and then on another trip,
I visit the US—New York, California, and
"It was only through the
analysis that we understood
what she did and why
she never went off sick.
She knew exactly what
amount she could remove
from the till every day
without arousing suspicion
and, if we had not caught
her, could still have been
creaming off the business."